Permissions for files and folders

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Permissions for files and folders

Folder permissions include Full Control, Modify, Read & Execute, List Folder Contents, Read, and Write. For information about these permissions, see File and folder permissions. Each of these permissions consists of a logical group of special permissions which are listed and defined below.

Permission	Description
Traverse Folder/Execute File	For folders: Traverse Folder allows or denies moving through folders to reach other files or folders, even if the user has no permissions for the traversed folders. (Applies to folders only.) Traverse folder takes effect only when the group or user is not granted the Bypass traverse checking user right in the Group Policy snap-in. (By default, the Everyone group is given the Bypass traverse checking user right.) For files: Execute File allows or denies running program files. (Applies to files only). Setting the Traverse Folder permission on a folder does not automatically set the Execute File permission on all files within that folder.
List Folder/Read Data	List Folder allows or denies viewing file names and subfolder names within the folder. List Folder only affects the contents of that folder and does not affect whether the folder you are setting the permission on will be listed. (Applies to folders only.) Read Data allows or denies viewing data in files. (Applies to files only.)
Read Attributes	Allows or denies viewing the attributes of a file or folder, such as read-only and hidden. Attributes are defined by NTFS.
Read Extended Attributes	Allows or denies viewing the extended attributes of a file or folder. Extended attributes are defined by programs and may vary by program.
Create Files/Write Data	Create Files allows or denies creating files within the folder. (Applies to folders only). Write Data allows or denies making changes to the file and overwriting existing content. (Applies to files only.)
Create Folders/Append Data	Create Folders allows or denies creating folders within the folder. (Applies to folders only.) Append Data allows or denies making changes to the end of the file but not changing, deleting, or overwriting existing data. (Applies to files only.)
Write Attributes	Allows or denies changing the attributes of a file or folder, such as read-only or hidden. Attributes are defined by NTFS. The Write Attributes permission does not imply creating or deleting files or folders, it only includes the permission to make changes to the attributes of a file or folder. In order to allow (or deny) create or delete operations, see Create Files/Write Data, Create Folders/Append Data, Delete Subfolders and Files, and Delete.
Write Extended Attributes	Allows or denies changing the extended attributes of a file or folder. Extended attributes are defined by programs and may vary by program. The Write Extended Attributes permission does not imply creating or deleting files or folders, it only includes the permission to make changes to the attributes of a file or folder. In order to allow (or deny) create or delete operations, see Create Files/Write Data, Create Folders/Append Data, Delete Subfolders and Files, and Delete.
Delete Subfolders and Files	Allows or denies deleting subfolders and files, even if the Delete permission has not been granted on the subfolder or file. (Applies to folders.)
Delete	Allows or denies deleting the file or folder. If you do not have Delete permission on a file or folder, you can still delete it if you have been granted Delete Subfolders and Files on the parent folder.
Read Permissions	Allows or denies reading permissions of the file or folder, such as Full Control, Read, and Write.
Change Permissions	Allows or denies changing permissions of the file or folder, such as Full Control, Read, and Write.
Take Ownership	Allows or denies taking ownership of the file or folder. The owner of a file or folder can always change permissions on it, regardless of any existing permissions that protect the file or folder.
Synchronize	Allows or denies different threads to wait on the handle for the file or folder and synchronize with another thread that may signal it. This permission applies only to multithreaded, multiprocess programs.

For more information, see Set, view, change, or remove special permissions and Set, view, change, or remove permissions on files and folders.

Note

• You will not be able to access an encrypted file without the Encrypting File System (EFS) key, even if you have the necessary permissions. For information about EFS, see Encrypting File System.